Center stage: Greenville helps keep a focus on the east.

• Position: Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce - Advertisement

The Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce's Web site stakes the claim, calling the city and county "the hub of Eastern North Carolina." It takes more than talk to make it true, of course. But Greenville leaders are doing their best to let their actions reflect the slogan.

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Case in point: The Martin-Pitt Industrial Park, a new venture that straddles the Martin and Pitt county line near Parmele. Wanda Yuhas, interim director of the Pitt County Development Commission, says much of the infrastructure is in place. Sales and marketing efforts will determine the park's ultimate business mix, and leaders are still crafting what they think will be the right pitch for it. "East Carolina University has the nation's No. 2 program in logistics," Yuhas says. "The college certainly has the expertise to rely on, and we think the park has possibilities in logistics and distribution. We have some logistics and distribution in Greenville already, but this could provide even more."

That industrial park is just one part of Eastern North Carolina's cultural and economic revolution. But Greenville is a catalyst of the movement in several ways.

Phillip Horne, president of the Foundation of Renewal for Eastern North Carolina, a Greenville-based nonprofit for the 41 counties east of Interstate 95, notes that the city is a regional source of strength. "It's central as a gateway to the coast, but it's also central within the Mid-Atlantic area, because it's halfway between New York and Miami." Positives include affordable real estate, ECU and its hospital system. "We've got a chance to do some things that are unique not only to North Carolina, but also to the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic as well."

Things already are changing. Susanne Sartelle, president of the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce, says one of the city's important contributions is providing a source of economic stability. "Greenville is very fortunate in a sense. Our economy is so diverse. We are somewhat protected from economic downturns."

Yuhas agrees. "The importance of stability is sometimes easy to forget. We have very near neighbors who are not in the same situation. At the same time, we know that some of the things that keep Pitt County healthy keep surrounding counties healthy, too. It's a symbiotic relationship."

The stability Sartelle and Yuhas refer to has much to do with the presence of ECU and the University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina. Those two are...